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I'm with Jason and LiteHedded.....if I don't have my team in tow, I don't dive. I've not had a bad experience in a cave, but I have in the open water with an unknown buddy.....I do not desire to have a repeat in the overhead in Florida.
I have dived in guided groups in Mexico, but again, I have "my buddy" in tow. I know I can count on him, and he me.
I'll dive with strangers, after some conversation. I've met some great people this way. There was even this one guy, with a long white beard, and a pony tail....but I digress.....
The skill level is important to know, but the attitude is crucial. If the attitude ain't right...the dive is thumbed before I unload my gear.
That said, I dive with a self-rescue/solo mindset and gear configuration. I will be there to help my new buddy out, but I won't count on him to do the same. If he's able to render assistance, that's great, but I'm not betting my life on it.
Are they leery because they don't know you, or because they do? :)Quote:
Originally Posted by FW
Mike
When people ask to dive with me, I usually just have two questions for them...
Is your life insurance current?
Who is your next of kin contact?
Funny thing, only a few have continued to converse and then dive with me... I figure that if they have not thought about the possibility of dying in the cave, then they are not far enough along in their cave diving yet.
Yup!Quote:
Originally Posted by sskasser
Mike
When I was freshly Cave 1 student, I was very picky about diving with stranger. I would make sure someone I knew or trusted dove with them or instructed them. I really didn't want to dive with strangers if I didn't have to.
Forward a few years, full cave, 100+ dives, DPV, stage, solo.... I am much less picky about who I dive with. As long as I haven't heard someone is a cluster f$#@, I'll dive with them. I don't really ask a ton of questions. Just the basics. Their experience at the particular dive site and whne/whom trained them. It's easy to see if someone has their stuff together just watching them.
I wouldn't dive any silty small cave with a stranger at first. Sticking with the main caves...
Diving with strangers made me a better diver for sure. I think it's really bad to dive with the same folks all the time. Diving with stranger keeps you on your toes and also shows you different ways of doings things.
I think the Abe Davis Awards should require having dove with at least XX different divers... It is as important as diving different caves in term of continuing education.
Guess I'm just a dive slut -- will go down with pretty much anyone at least once. I've noticed that you can chat prospective buddies up, talk about certification, instructors and experience, and still get a surprise (good or bad) in the water.
If you're not completely comfortable w/ your skills (or the cave or the dive plan), I suggest sticking w/ buddies referred by instructors or other divers known to you. On the other hand, if you're comfortable diving solo why not be a slut?
I've been lucky enough to dive w/ some very experienced and well-trained divers over the years and learned a great deal from them. Have also pulled a panic-stricken diver out of a cave and watched him collapse w/ an apparent heart attack.
Two relatively common denominators in pickup buddies seem to be: 1) the lesser experienced, and 2) the out-of-towners; as a broad generalization, the former tend to be more anxious, while the latter's skill set can be pretty rusty. Again, these are merely broad generalizations, and I've seen many exceptions in both categories as well as divers who fall into both.
The real question, to me, isn't necessarily how good or bad the prospective buddy might be, but how confident in my training, skills and experience am I? Will I be a burden or an asset to this team? If I cannot answer asset, under worst case scenario assumptions, we don't need to dive together.
Well said.Quote:
Originally Posted by cavedog57
That wasn't what scared me, Joe. It was when you said "Them sure are some nice regs you got there...so nobody knows you're diving with me today, right?" And then said under your breath, "I sure could use me some new regs" :smt100Quote:
Originally Posted by Tegg
Me too. I have set up dives with strangers, chatted off and on for a few weeks before showing up etc. By the time we hit the water we are pretty aligned and essentially buddies. I would never try to have these "setup" conversations the morning of, or at a dive site. To me there's a certain amount of maturation of a relationship required before I want to dive in substantive overheads with someone.Quote:
Originally Posted by Me
I will do "deco lite" (10-15mins) or cavern dives with anyone with minimal pre-dive questions. Beyond that I am highly selective and don't mind staying home if I don't get a warm fuzzy feeling.